Ten good friends key to happiness

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Forget a top career or wedded bliss, the key to true happiness is having at least ten good friends, says new research.

Being able to rely on up to ten good friends keeps us chipper say scientists, while having just five or fewer can leave us in the doldrums.

A study of over a thousand men and women showed those who are content with their lot tend to have lots of close friends and are regularly prepared to make new ones.

Researchers say their findings do not clearly define whether it is our friendship groups that make us happy or that we make friends because we are happy. However they do conclude that we should nurture our friendships.

Psychologist Richard Tunney deduced: 'Whatever the reason, actively working on friendships in the same way as to maintain a marriage is a prerequisite to happiness.'

Dr Tunney said the study revealed: 'People who were extremely satisfied with their lives had twice the number of friends of people who were extremely dissatisfied. Women tended to have fewer friends than men but formed tighter bonds.'

The research also revealed childhood friends are no more likely to make us happy than people we become close to later in life. And finally, if you reside in Birmingham, you should be one of the happiest Britons in the country. According to the study Brummies have an average of 29 friends and a 75% chance of happiness…

Friday 24 October 2008

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